October 11th, The International Day of The Girl Child

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights (BAOBAB) joins the world to commemorate the international day of the girl child. As a global partner with the Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) global campaign to stop stoning (Change.org), staff of BAOBAB went to neighbouring streets to seek people’s views on cultural/religious belief on the act of stoning in Nigeria.  The ratio of the people interviewed were 7:4 (men to women respectively) and 90% of the people interviewed didn’t have knowledge on the existence of provision for the act of stoning. Below are some of the views

…it’s an unfair act!
…the issue of stoning based on immoral acts is not right! Government should find a way to eradicate such law!
…I think the law is not okay!
…I do not agree with the law on stoning for the sin of immorality but feel there should be a better mechanism to address such!
…it should be removed from the law!
..I believe it is not right. Even if other countries do it, Nigeria should not follow such steps!
…based on my belief I don't think a woman should be stoned to death
…it is a bad act!

 
BAOBAB also asked friends to send in photos, write-ups etc on “why” they care about stoning. Below are photos and links to Poems submitted.

Photos:

Poems:

WE ARE HUMAN!
 

I CARE! 

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

BAOBAB, kindly urges you to join the campaign against stoning and advocate to the UN to take action on abolishing stoning in law, by clicking on this link United Nations Secretary General & the OHCHR: End Stoning Now

Thank you.

Press Release: The retention of the provision of Section 29(4)(b) in the amendment process of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights (BAOBAB) strongly condemns the recent happenings with the Nigerian constitutional amendment process in the Senate to retain the provision of Section 29(4) (b) which says that “any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age", This provision would imply that a female child even at birth, if married, is deemed to be of full age.

This is particularly disheartening given the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria, primarily due to the prevalence of Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) / Rectovaginal fistula (RVF). The majority of the cases of VVF in Nigeria are as a result of early girl child marriage. Early marriage in many instances leads to the withdrawal of girls from schools and thrusts upon them marital and reproductive responsibilities for which they are neither physically nor mentally mature to carry out.

BAOBAB sees this clause as a clear violation of the rights of the girl child and various international treaties such as:

• The Child Rights Act 2003: Section 21 & 22 which prohibits child marriage and betrothal .
• Convention of Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Article 16 (2) which says the betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry compulsory.
• Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa Article 6 (b) which provides that the minimum age of marriage for women is 18 years.

BAOBAB is using this medium to call on the National Assembly, Senate and the Nigerian government to:

1. Remove the contentious provision of Section 29(4) (b) from the Constitution.
2. Fulfill its obligations of implementing international treaties which Nigeria signed and ratified that would protect rights of the girl child such as The Child Rights Act, CEDAW & the Protocol to the African Charter

Signed:

Anne Lawal
Ag. Executive Director
BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights

In Memoriam of Sindi Medar-Gould

With a heavy heart and deepest sorrow we, the entire staff of BAOBAB For Women’s Human Rights (BAOBAB) announce the sudden demise of Sindi Medar Gould the former Executive Director of BAOBAB, Sindi Medar-Gould a citizen of St Lucia in the Caribbean, was a great feminist, facilitator, researcher & activist for women’s human rights in Nigeria and globally. She contributed a great deal to the emancipation and empowerment of women and girl children. Sindi’s last appointment was with the Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development & Peace (WLP), as a Senior Consultant and Global Trainer. Sindi also worked with various women human rights organizations and movement. She touched many lives and helped to give women a reason to live a life with hope for a better tomorrow. She would be greatly missed and remembered as a great leader. Farewell Sindi!!!

Signed



Mma Odi
Executive Director
BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights

 Click here to read tributes from people whose lives Sindi has touched

COLOUR TAG FOR “VIOLENCE”

Counting down “one” day to the “V” day (February 14), What colour would you tag “VIOLENCE” besides colour red and why? Let's hear your views....
 

Related link: one Billion Rising!

Women in Conflict and Peace-Building

Over the past two decades, Nigeria has experienced increased levels of insecurity and violence which has claimed many lives and property. The state of insecurity has affected virtually every aspect of social and economic development and women have so far been especially affected by such violence and insecurity because of their peculiar roles as homemakers, caregivers as well as their relatively poor economic status.   

Unarmed women and children thus continue to bear the brunt of massacres that occur in different parts of the country, especially in northern Nigeria.  The mass killing that occurred in Jos, Plateau state in 2010, for example, resulted in the death of many Nigerians most of whom were women and children.  To date, the number of the victims affected by that massacre has not been confirmed.  In recognition of the precarious situation that women found themselves in that tragedy, many women organized a peaceful “wailing” protest in Abuja demanding justice and protection from such attacks.  The massacre brought about condemnations from both local and international agencies and government officials.  It also brought to light women’s interest and role in peace building processes that aim to provide rehabilitation for victims of conflict and establish preventive systems. 

Recent events of conflicts, bombing of commercial and public places in Nigeria show that conflicts must be managed, not ignored and there must be concrete efforts for peace building. Such processes must also be completely inclusive of all interests represented in the country.  Without peace there can be no meaningful development and without women’s involvement in the design and implementation of policies and programs on conflict resolution and peace-building such activities will fail to achieve its purpose.  On  October 31 2000 the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted the Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR1325), stating in article 2 of the Resolution: “Reaffirming the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building, and stressing the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision- making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution”.  In addition, various other international and regional instruments as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states clearly women’s right to protection in conflict situations and their involvement (without discrimination) in peace building and conflict resolution processes. Nigeria is signatory to a host of such international instruments and laws.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights in recognition of the rights of women in conflicts situation and peace building process dedicates her 2013 calendar to women in conflicts. The 2013 calendar highlights quotations from legal instruments that outlaw violence against women in conflicts and recommend women’s involvement in peace-building processes.

Gender Violence; Women mostly affected - by Theresa Kelubia

Violence is an act carried out with the intention or perceived intention of physically harming another person. From a gender perspective, it is a violent act perpetrated on women mostly by men because they are women. It has also been pointed out by the society that women are vulnerable to various forms of violent acts for several reasons such as being seen as weaker vessels,   being financially dependent on their men, and low self esteem. When there is a crisis woman and young girls are usually targeted and this has led women to be subjected to rape, sexual harassment, just to mention a few.
Rape has become the issue of the day as many women and young girls are victims of this evil act. Rape is an unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or a girl without her consent. The word rape sends shivers down the spine of most women, I for one. It is the worst sexual assault and violence any women can be subjected to but a very common incident in our society today. Women are often raped by their fathers, stepfathers, uncles, strangers and robbers.
It is bad enough for robbers to do away with your valuable goods but very devastating when they encroach on the most valuable, priceless part of you, carting away with that which cannot be replaced in a life time, leaving the victims with a life-time  scare,  a condition that in most cases has an adverse effect on them. In the same vein, it is very bad to hear a situation where a father will rape his own daughter. It is very disheartening. This in turn has other very traumatic consequences such as; expulsion from school, early/unplanned pregnancy, HIV/ AIDs, abortion and in certain cases death.
In relationships with men, women are also said to be vulnerable (weaker vessels).  This relates to the society’s concept that views women as property owned by men and dependant on their male ‘protectors’. Many women suffer humiliation, brutalization and battering as a result of this misconception. The marriage of under-aged girls against their will is a harmful practice embedded in many cultures and traditions. The root causes are complex but driven by factors that include gender inequalities, poverty, negative traditional or religious practices, weak enforcement of laws that prohibit such practices as well as pressures caused by conflict and natural disasters. It is a cross border issue affecting women and young girls in many countries around the world.
Violation of women’s human rights exist in three contexts- the family, community and the state. It is very appalling that the family is a major site of violence from the very moment a female child is born she is considered as a second-class. She is deprived of education and inheritance in favour of her male siblings. Everything done to her is geared toward preparing her to carry out her duties to her husband and family. The community culture, religion and ethnic values play a critical role in reinforcing the structure of the family and the position of women within it. The community plays the role of defining gender relations within the ideal family and often set the stage for female subordination. Punishment for extra-marital sex, rape and other forms of physical chastisements  are amongst additional practices of gender violence perpetrated against women in the name of preserving ethnic or religious integrity. At the state level, for example in Nigeria the rights of women are clearly spelt out in the nation’s constitution. Rights is defined as “A power, privilege or immunity, guaranteed under the constitution. Respect for rights is seen as a matter of justice. The rights of women enshrined in the Nigerian constitution are consistent with the ideals of humanism. Unfortunately, it is sad to say that those rights and ideals have remained paper tigers, mere theoretical postulations without any practical bearing on the lives and conditions of women.
Every woman deserves more than being seen as a weaker vessel, and discriminated against in the society. Domestic violence in the country should be discouraged. Women should be protected and not to be destroyed. Nigeria is blessed with women and if encouraged and given the opportunity, they will contribute substantially to the development of the country and Nigeria would become a better place. "A woman's body is the only piece of Real Estate on which she owes no mortgage." (Glenda Simms, Jamaica)

References:
Margaret Schuler- Freedom from violence women’s strategies from around the world
Akanda L. & Shamim. I (1984) Women and Violence: A comparative study
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/adam-short/child-brides-a-rights vio_b_986669.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008
Women unfairly treated by policy-makers”, Daily Sun Newspaper, Tuesday, June 22, 2010, p 7.

Changing the Feminine Face of Poverty in Nigeria: Challenges of Poverty Facing Women and BAOBAB’s Strategic Interventions - by Yewande Okoya

Seventy percent of those living in absolute poverty in our world - that is starving or on the edge of starvation - are female. All over the world, women and children are the mass of the poor and the poorest of the poor.

In Nigeria, as in many other developing countries, the new face of poverty is woman. This has become an economic phenomenon as the gap between women and men caught in the cycle of poverty has continued to widen in the past decade, a phenomenon commonly referred to as ‘the feminization of poverty’. This underscores the fact that where an issue affects (negatively) both man and woman, in most cases the woman suffers more than the man. In the situation of single parenting for instance, families headed by women are poorer compared with those headed by men.

In any society, women should play a central role in shaping future generations, physiologically, emotionally, morally, spiritually and intellectually, but when women are poor, they are not free and their choices are limited and so, are unable to perform this central role the failure of which has dire consequences for future generations.

The feminization of poverty has recently become a significant problem in Nigeria as in other developing countries with economics in transition as a short-term consequence of the process of political, economic and social transformation. In addition to economic factors, the rigidity of socially ascribed gender roles and women’s limited access to power, education, training and productive resources as well as other emerging factors that may lead to securities for families are responsible. Due to these gender roles, women are not given equal opportunity as the men to be educated and liberated economically because in some parts of society, educating a woman is seen as a waste of resources, since a man will marry her; the onus is on the man to take up responsibilities. Even in parts of society where education and economic empowerment are accepted and promoted, women are expected to perform majority of household chores and take sole responsibility of childcare even when both the male and female partners have full time jobs.

These stereotypes and socialization have continued to make women worldwide far more likely to be poorer than men. Men in particular and the nation as a whole, need to realize that this issue is not just a “women's issue" but it is is about your mother and your grandmother. It's about your sisters and it's about the future of your daughters and how to move this country forward because women make-up about 50% of the population and as such can not be ignored.

Challenges of Poverty and BAOBAB’s Interventions

1. Lack of access to good health care services. In this regards and essentially, BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights believes strongly in the power of ‘empowering’. BAOBAB empowers women and girls through its Leadership Training by building their capacities as leaders where they (women) must allow improvement and be resourceful without depending on anyone’s wealth for daily sustenance.

2. Lack of access to information. – BAOBAB provides women with information in accessing economic and educational opportunities, as well as the autonomy needed to take advantage of such opportunities.

3. Lack of access to affordable Legal representation. The importance of training women and girls to be self dependent, resourceful sharing of relevant and useful information, providing women with skills, boosting their morale that gives confidence and self dependency for optimum achievement of goals and aspiration matters most to BAOBAB as we totally agree that they (women) should be shown how to fish rather than giving them fish.

4. Encountering difficulties as it relates to funds while making interventions relevant to women’s issues at the community level. Most non governmental organizations work on the larger base while some women groups work mainly at the community levels who are familiar with the issues on ground. BAOBAB’s 14 outreach team states functions primarily in this regard. Also, BAOBAB re-granted some amount of money received from the American World Jewish Service to some selected women groups for specific interventions in these communities. The idea of the re-grant was to basically fund women groups who could not access funds from funders that requires funding database which mostly leaves the issues on ground unattended to.

5. Domestication of women’s human rights instruments. BAOBAB continues to play and lead advocacy roles at the state, national, regional and international levels in ensuring the ratification, domestication, implementations (as the case may be) of instruments that attends to the concerns of women. BAOBAB played an active role in ensuring that Lagos State Government domesticated the violence against women bill. BAOBAB also coordinated the NGO CEDAW Coalition and produced a Shadow Report in response the Nigerian 6th Country Report to CEDAW.

What we can do

Women must be identified and situated as a specific target group in the national poverty eradication programmes. In this regard, funders, foundations and non governmental organisations should inculcate into its programme plan provisions for gender training for senior decision-makers to mainstream gender perspective into sectoral development planning.

Women’s NGOs and other organisations should ensure that Nigeria undertake legislative and administrative reforms to give women full and equal access to economic resources, including the right to inheritance and to ownership of land, as required in the Beijing Platform for Action.

References

1. Adidu, Paper Presentation on Feminization of Poverty in Nigeria,December 2005.

2. Callagham, Hamber and Takira; A Triad of Oppression – Violence, Women and Poverty: Center for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation.

3. Women and Poverty, FWCW Platform for Action, 2005

4. www.alternet.org/feminism_poverty

Violence Against Women Without a Male Child by Ijeoma Chinakwe (an Intern with BAOBAB)

Up to date in the  eastern part of Nigeria, a  woman without a male child has no say in her husband's family, when her husband is no more she will be left with nothing. Empowering such woman and letting her know her fundamental human rights will give her much security and sense of belonging in the society.

Last year December, an organization (The Prudent Women Foundation) held a workshop in Imo state Nigeria, a case was reported of a woman with three girls without any male child. The woman was  forcefully pushed out of her matrimonial home by her husband’s relatives. This is because she had no male child for their brother for the years they lived together as a couple.  As a result of these, she  was sent out with her three female children with nothing to fall back to. 

The international women’s day observed every 8th of March, addresses such violence but it is a pity that many women are still not aware of this occasion that is solely for the benefit of all women. I feel sustainable empowerment  for women in general,  will reduce or totally eliminate such violence in our immediate and large society.

Know your facts on violence against women

Do you know your facts on violence against women? Take the Say NO quiz and find out!
What's more, every point you score counts towards the Say NO action counter.
Let's show the world we are not silent anymore. Take action now! Click on this link:
http://www.saynotoviolence.org/quiz

'Make Your Voice Heard! - A Presentation by Sofia Ek (an Intern with BAOBAB)@2010

Jos Crisis - Women & Children, at the receiving end. by Wunmi Akinbodunse

In less than three months in the year 2010, Jos, Plateau State in Nigeria has experienced three major phase of crisis attributed to ethno/religious misunderstanding and intolerance.  The genesis of these crisis took place in the year 2009 with a lot of innocent citizens especially women and children being slaughtered for what they knew nothing about.

The first crisis was unimaginable and uncalled for, so were others. It beats my imagination to see human beings deriving pleasure in slaughtering a fellow human being. The second crisis took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, March 7, 2010 in a small village in the outskirts of Jos, named Dogon Hauwa, where people in the settlement were raided and slaughtered with a count of over 20% of the village’s populace, the larger percentage of the slaughtered were women, children and the elderly. After much mourning, a mass burial was conducted for the slain amidst tears and cries of revenge by the bereaved. The third was similar to the second but not as severe. The attack was on a village in Riom Local Government Area of Jos which also took place in the morning and was perpetuated by fundamentalists camouflaged in the new peace keeping outfits of the soldiers deployed to the area. This opened a brand new chapter in the unrest in Jos. 

Women and children are unfortunately at the receiving end of the crisis from its inception. What can WE (Nigerians , NGOs, CBOs & policy makers)  do to bring the perpetrators to book and accountable to what they have done from these heinous crime to humanity, what can we do to prevent a re-occurrence of the crisis, having in mind the paramount duty of protecting the lives of all especially women and children who appears to be the most affected?
 

Women Take Over Lagos Judiciary! Male Folks are Endangered Specie. - Favour Irabor

Prior to 1999, male judges dominated Lagos State Judiciary just like other states in the federation. Female judges took the back seat and nobody felt there was any imbalance in the system. But today, there is much hullabaloo as it is perceived that women are taking over. The justification for this position is the publication in the DAILY SUN of Wednesday March 24, 2010 on pages 44 and 45 captioned Women take over Lagos Judiciary! Male folks are endangered specie.

Lagos State should be commended for adopting affirmative action at achieving gender equality and gender parity and redressing the imbalance that has characterized the composition and appointment into the judiciary for decades. Lagos State also appointed a non-indigene in the person of Ms Nwaka who hails from Delta State as a judge. Thus Lagos State can proudly be described as anti-discrimination compliant State. Female judges in Lagos State are known to be bold. Examples abound like Justice Dolapo Akinsanya that declared the Interim National Government illegal in 1993. The latest judgment that is salutary is the decision of Justice Oke which awarded N100M damages in favour of Ms Okere for the violence inflicted upon her by some naval personnel.

It is indeed sad and disconcerting that the SUN which should be in the vanguard to champion gender equality and gender parity is surreptitiously advocating for the extinction of this policy via its publication of 24th March 2010. The situation in Lagos State is justified by Article 4 of CEDAW which deals with temporary special measures and reinforced by the critical areas of concern under the Beijing Platform of Action.

Sharia police arrested for ‘rape’ - by Chibogu Obinwa

It is not new that the greatest form of violation of women’s human rights is through the control, subjugation, and total disregard of their sexuality. Women are vulnerable to sexual violence both in their private spaces and public –and worse still when the latter occurs within the ‘space’ that should be the safest for women to seek protection ‘Police Station’! On a daily basis we hear stories of Law Enforcement personnel raping women and girls whom have been placed under their protection. This was the case in Langsa Sharia Police Station, Banda Aceh, Jarkata, Indonesia where Police in the regency arrested two Sharia Police Officers, (also known as Wilayatul Hisbah), for reportedly raping a female detainee at the Langsa Sharia Police Station. According to the Police Chief, the woman was gang-raped by the three Sharia policemen during her interrogation. Now hear the irony: the victim cum survivor of the Police rape, who was a University student, was being interrogated for allegedly violating the 2003 Sharia Public Indecency Bylaw. For how long will women endure the pains of being violated by the same state agents responsible for their protection? How many more of these cases happening within Police cells are lurking in the dark, unknown to us, and how many of these perpetrators will be brought to justice and hopefully serve as deterrent for more? How long will women continue to be at the receiving need?These questions need urgent answers!

Rising Trend of Fundamentalism

“There is a rising trend of fundamentalism – Cultural, Religious, & Class. This threatens the sanity of human race and majorly has women at the receiving end. How can women defend their rights and make “HER” voice heard? Please do make comments on your views and possible, yet realistic approach/solution to combat fundamentalisms. Thanks”.